Interviews

Dale Dye Interview

GameSpy: You've been the technical advisor for all eight MoH games. How exactly did you get involved?

Dale Dye: I have worked with EA since the franchise inception in the early '90s. I was working on Saving Private Ryan as the film's military consultant and Steven Spielberg shared his vision of creating a video game that captured the cinematic feel and epic proportions of the film. I thought he was just talking, but then when we got back to the states a couple of months later, I got a call from him asking me to come on out and assist as a military consultant on the game Medal of Honor.

GameSpy: You've worked on movies and television before, but was MoH your first foray into the world of video games?

Dale Dye: Yes.

GameSpy: Do you play video games at all? If so, what sort of games or genres interest you most?

Dale Dye: I am not much of a gamer, but what I can say is that this franchise was and is attractive to me because of the commitment to historical accuracy, realism, and authenticity. These aspects show respect that is deserved by those who served.

Dale Dye

GameSpy: How closely do you work with the development team?

Dale Dye: I tend to be a little less involved conceptually these days. The development guys have got most of that stuff down to a science. What I do lately is give advice on new gameplay features and -- as always -- serve as a reality check at various levels. We have developed a sort of short-hand over the years, so the designers and engineers can pose questions no matter where I happen to be in the world, and I'm able to understand what they are after and provide the quick and dirty answers. It's a very comfortable relationship.

GameSpy: Aside from obvious things like correct weapons and uniforms, what do you need to look for to ensure a game is realistic?

Dale Dye: I pay a lot of attention to how the characters act. Realism requires that there be consequences for every move you make on a battlefield whether it's a good move or a bad move. For instance, I had a hand in developing a new feature for Medal of Honor European Assault that reflects what some soldiers experience under the intense pressure of life-or-death situations. It's what I call gut-check. In the game it is called "adrenaline," which is a feature that helps the game to feel more authentic. Adrenaline is essentially the moment in battle where you go above and beyond what you thought was physically possible and succeed in your goal.